Methods of and apparatus for rolling structural shapes such as h,i and rails



Jan. 6, 1970 R. STAMMBACH 3, 7, 7

METHODS OF A APPARATUS FOR ROLLING STRUCTURAL SH 5 SUCH AS H, I AND RAILS Filed Feb. 16, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

Jan. 6, 1970 .STAMMBACH 3,487,671

METHODS OF A ARATUS FOR ROLLING STRUCTURAL SH 5 SUCH AS H, I AND RAILS Filed Feb. 16, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

. R. STAMMBACH 3,487,671 METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING STRUCTURAL Jar-1.6, 1970 SHAPES sucn AS H, I AND RAILS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 16. 1966 @MM 64 M United States Patent 6,48 Int. Cl. B21b N08 US. Cl. 72-223 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and device for rolling structural shapes such as I, H and rails wherein a bar of metal is rolled in a plurality of passes in three-high stands. The metal worked concentrically by the horizontal rolls of the three-high stand and a plurality of vertical-axis rollers mounted between the horizontal rolls, is simultaneously introduced through at least one additional frame carrying horizontalaxis edging rollers. The bar is worked at each pass between two horizontal rolls and two vertical rollers and then, after at least one pass of said passes, between two edging rollers for the control of the flange width.

Since the beginning of this century, parallel-flanged beams have been manufactured which bear marked and known advantages in comparison with inclined-flanged beams.

This rolling process required the development of special extremely costly mills, quite difiicult to perfect and differing considerably from conventional rolling mills. Such special mills, of which the essential component elements are reversing universal four rolls stands capable of rolling in series with a two-high edging stand, actually involve heavy investments due to the complicated roller arrangement, the feed arrangement, and also the proper timing of the reversing driving motors.

Attempts have been made with a view to palliate these requirements by using conventional roll stands such as reversing two-high or three-high stands implementing an ingenious path for preparing a preliminary shape from which the final product can be rolled according to the conventional rolling processes.

The parallel-flange final section was obtained by using roller supports mounted in cavities provided to this end in the roll of conventional stands, or on a separate universal stand mounted as a rule on the mill line or sometimes at the rear thereof.

However, these methods, while giving satisfactory products from the dimensional point of view, did not bring to the rolling process the advantages resulting from universal rolling between four rolls working the metal by concentric alteration of its shape while improving the physical properties in comparison with the rolling process utilizing shaped grooves. In this last technique the metal is forced through grooves rolling now by direct pressure, now by indirect pressure, but always asymmetrically, firstly the upper half and then the lower half of the section.

Moreover, shaping the section metal by indirect pressure in female grooves is attended by a high frictional work absorbing a considerable fraction of the rolling force and causing a rapid wear of the grooves. In addition, relatively fragile and accurately fitted guides and guards must be provided to prevent the bar from winding around the roller.

On the other hand, in the universal rolling technique the frictional contact is relatively moderate and the guard problem does not arise. The wasted power and roll wear "ice are also decreased and the finished products have a better surface appearance.

Practical experience gained with universal rolling mills proved that in their last developments a faultless section could be obtained with three to five universal passes and one to two edging passes.

Nevertheless, as already pointed out hereinabove, universal mills constitute costly equipments difiicult to adjust.

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which, while affording the same advantages as universal mills, is free of the drawbacks characterizing this known technique in that it permits of dispensing with the costly equipments and investments resulting from the complicated roller arrangement, the feed arrangement, the necessarily accurate control and timing of the reversing driving motors equipping universal rolling mills.

The method of this invention is characterized primarily in that the rolling operation is carried out by conventional three-high stands having mounted between their rolls a plurality of supports equipped with complementary rollers having their axis disposed vertically, with the addition of at least one additional frame with edging rollers having horizontal axis, the bar being introduced into the nip of the edging of this additional frame after at least one pass in.

The various features and advantages characterizing this invention will appear more clearly as the following description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings showing diagrammatically by way of example various forms of embodiment of this invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing the roll arrangement of a three-high stand according to the teachings of the method of the present invention;

FIGURES 2 and 3 show respectively for comparative purposes the preliminary shape in the conventional rolling process utilized up to now, and the preliminary shape for the universal rolling process;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is another section taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a medial vertical section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary elevational view as seen in the direction of the arrows 77 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the bar worked by the edging rollers;

FIGURE 9 is another fragmentary section showing means for adjusting the position of the rollers having vertical axis;

FIGURE 10 is an elevational section similar to FIG- URE 6 but showing an arrangement wherein the final pass takes place in a separate or auxiliary finishing stand;

FIGURE 11 is an elevational fragmentary view taken from the front of the three-high stand, showing the delivery sides of the lower cross member carrying the edging rollers and the entry side of the upper cross member;

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is an elevational view showing the horizontal rolls and the vertical rollers, as well as the edging rollers (dotted lines) of a stand constructed according to the teachings of this invention for rolling rails, and

FIGURE 14 is a diagram illustrating the transformation of a conventional American rolling mill for the manufacture of parallel-flanged beams by the method of this invention.

The initial or blank section A (FIGURE 3) is obtained by using a conventional stand. It must be strictly symmetrical like the one obtained with the preparatory or leader-pass of the universal mills. It is characterized, and differs from the normal shape illustrated in FIGURE 2, in that it has thicker and shorter flanges, thus considerably facilitating the rolling work from the roll-wear and the guiding points of View. In fact, the surface exposed to the rolling action is reduced, thus decreasing frictional contacts. Moreover, the symmetry of this shape makes it unnecessary to use the guide means usually resorted to for rolling asymmetric shapes, because of the tendency of the latter to wind themselves up as they emerge from the roll stand.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a conventional three-high stand wherein the horizontal rolls E, B and C have identical groups of roll pass contours E B C E B C -E B C Disposed between these rolls according to this invention are vertical rollers D-D, F-F, and H-H having vertical axis and therefore termed hereinafter vertical rollers. Each vertical roller D-D, F-F is trunnioned in roller supports I secured by studs 1" to the upper and lower cross members fastened to the housings 0 of the threehigh stand (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The vertical rollers have a rolling surface operating in conjunction with two roll pass contours of the groups B B C E B C E B C3 of the horizontal rolls E, B and C, the shape of this surface corresponding to the contour of the bar or shape to be rolled.

In the example illustrated in FIGURE 1, the vertical rollers. D-D', F-F and H-H' are disposed as follows in the three-high stand:

The vertical rollers F-F' are interposed between the rolls E and B, the pass line of the said pair of vertical rollers being in the vertical symmetry plane of the horizontal rolls, said symmetry plane being the one that is perpendicular to the axis of the horizontal rolls.

The other vertical rollers DD and H-H' are disposed between the horizontal rolls B and C, symmetrically in relation to the said symmetry plane.

In the following description of the method of this invention the first pass (or pass No. 1) is effected between the rolls B and C and the vertical rollers DD' (lower left-hand portion), the second pass (pass No. 2) between rolls E and B and the vertical rollers F-F' (central upper portion of the figure) and the third pass (pass No. 3) between rolls B and C and the vertical rollers H-H' (lower right-hand portion of the figure).

Also in accordance with the teachings of this invention, the edging horizontal rollers G, G are mounted on an additional frame secured to the cross member 0 (see FIGURE 4) which is fastened to the housing 0 of the three-high stand.

The 'method according to this invention is carried out as follows:

The blank section A is introduced towards the front of the device, as seen in FIGURE 1, between rolls B and C of the three-high stand, as explained hereinabove.

The metal is wrought concentrically between rolls B and C and rollers D-D during pass No. 1 (see FIGURE 1) so as to widen the flanges A of the preliminary shape A. Pass No. 2 also takes place between rolls B and E and rollers F-F, but as the bar emerges from the stand it passes between the edging rollers G-G whereby the width to the flanges is reduced (without interfering with the web) to sucha dimension that the widening produced by the third and last pass taking place between rolls B and C and rollers H-H' gives the desired width to the flanges in the final shape.

The bar nipped between the horizontal rolls B and E is driven between the edging rollers G-G having a horizontal axis, of which the work consists simply in edging the tips of the flanges, as shown in FIGURE 8. The web section is not altered by the rollers, as in an edging stand of a universal mill.

Since, due to the rolling action, the shape has a flange width decreasing towards the ends of the bar, the web is still engaged by the horizontal rolls while the flanges are no more worked by the edging rollers, so that the bar is ejected by the horizontal rolls and its inherent inertia.

The horizontal rolls B, C and E are designed to be strictly identical; in other words, as already stated, all the roll pass cont-our groups E B C -E B C E B C are exactly the same (see FIG. 1). This permits the use of sets of four rolls, as for two successive mountings or roll changes, one may invert the positions of the rolls E and C respectively, the roll pass contours E E of the upper horizontal roll E and the middle roll pass contour C of the lower horizontal-roll C which remained inoperative in the first mounting becoming operative in the second one, the worn intermediate roll B being replaced by a new one. This permits a tonnage to be produced with a four roll set, that otherwise would require two complete three-roll sets, that is six rolls.

In comparison with the rolling action obtained with reversing universal stands, there is only one pass per groove instead of three to seven, so that roll wear is reduced considerably.

The position of the vertical rollers (D-D', F-F' and H-H may be adjusted by using either wedge members I acting on the roller supports I as shown in FIGURES 5 and 9, or screw and nut devices. The position of the edging rollers G-G' is adjusted both laterally and vertically by means of pressure screws J, I, J and 1 (FIG- URE 7).

Guide members K are mounted between the horizontal rolls E and B (FIGURE 6) and the edging rollers G-G' to keep the bar in good direction. These guide members are stationary, in the example illustrated in FIGURE 6, but they may, if desired, be provided as usual in conventional rolling mills, with ascrew or counter-weight adjustment device mounted on the cross member 0 fastened to the housings 0 of the three high stand.

In the alternate form of embodiment of the method of this invention, as shown in FIGURES 10, 11 and 12 the final pass is carried out in a separate stand where the bar is worked concentrically between two horizontal rolls and two vertical rollers (not shown, since it has no specific features). In this case the arrangement of the edging rollers G-G differs. Considering the basic principle whereby the flanges must be edged just before the finishing pass, if it is desired to impart a satisfactory appearance to the shape, two sets of edging rollers LL', M-M' must be mounted on the lower cross member 8, as shown in FIGURES 10', 11 and 12.

Referring more particularly to FIGURES 11 and 12, pass No. 1 (see arrow f is shown in the left-hand side of the figure: the bar is passed first between the rolls B and C and the vertical rollers, then between the edging roller-s L-L. It isthen rolled during pass No. 2 between the horizontal rolls E and B and the vertical rollers (arrow f As it emerges from this pass (without edglng rollers) the bar is introduced (arrow f between the honzontal rolls B and C and the vertical rollers, this third passage becoming then the fore-fiinshing passage. The bar goes then through the edging rollers MM before its last passage in the separate finishing stand where it is rolled as already described.

It will be noted that the edging rollers may be mounted according to requirements at the output of any rolling pass according to the design used, as will be explained presently in connection with the manufacture of rails, for example.

In fact, it is obvious that this method is applicable to sections or shapes other than H-beams and also to asymmetric shapes like rails. FIGURE 13 illustrates a typical application to this type of shape. If the rolling process requires more than three universal passes, more passes can be made by interposing always a set of edging rollers P-P' and RR', dotted lines after two successive passes the last edging pass must compulsorily take place before the finishing pass.

The rolling method according to this invention is extremely advantageous in that the use of reversing D.C. motor can be dispensed with while suppressing the very complicated and therefore costly automation means used for their regulation, the speed synchronization or timing of the two motors operated in series at different rates according to the type of pass to be performed, the relative positioning (requiring on the other hand a very high degree of precision) of the six rolls of the two three-high stands, the accelerations, decelerations and upstream and downstream sequences of auxiliary installations. The investments are therefore reduced considerably in comparison with those required in the case of conventional installations such as designed of late.

In comparison with hitherto known devices comprising a groove roll-designing, the method of the present invention reduces roll cost and affords definitely increased bar elongations With respect to conventional, alternately male and female grooves. Guiding the bars at the outlet is facilitated and any incident due to adjustment, wear and to the ends of defective bar is practically eliminated.

Experience teaches that with the method of this invention reductions in the cross-sectional area of shapes may be obtained which are twice those of conventional rolldesigning as a consequence of the considerable elongation effect resulting from the action ot the vertical rollers of relatively reduced diameter in comparison with the horizontal roll diameter.

This method is easily applicable, at the cost of very moderate expenses, to existing installations and notably t0 American-type compound mills comprising notably threehigh stands and a separate finishing stand (FIGURE 14). The reference letter S designates the reversing roughing stand; T is the three-high stand of the existing mill which is driven from the non-reversing variable-speed motor T. On the drive of this three-high stand another three-high stand U-equipped with vertical roller supports for universal passes (as in the case illustrated in FIGURE 1) is added, with additional frames U carrying edging rollers U according to this invention. V designates a nonreversing two-high stand with vertical roller supports acting as a finishing stand driven by a motor V.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be undersLood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for rolling sections such as I, H, rails, and the like, comprising in combination a three-high stand having horizontal rolls with similar roll pass contours of a shape corresponding to the shape of the section to be rolled, a plurality of rollers having vertical axes, said vertical axes rollers being disposed between said horizontal rolls, roller supports for said vertical axes rollers, each of said vertical axes rollers being trunnioned in a roller support that carries it, cross members fastened to said three-high stand, said roller supports being secured to said cross members, and said vertical axes rollers having a rolling surface coacting with the roll pass contours of said horizontal rolls, said vertical axes rollers being distributed in pairs between said horizontal rolls, additional frames, a plurality of horizontal axes edging rollers, said edging rollers being mounted in pairs in said additional frames, said horizontal axes of said edging rollers being in a plane parallel to the common vertical plane of said horizontal rolls axes, said edging rollers being disposed symmetrically with respect to the path of travel of the bar, said additional frames being secured to said cross-members, whereby a blank rolled in a plurality of passes is introduced at each pass between two of said horizontal rolls and two of said vertical axes rollers, and simultaneously, after at least one pass, between two of said edging rollers.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein one of said pairs of vertical axes rollers is disposed between said horizontal rolls, the rollers of said pair of vertical axes rollers being disposed symmetrically with respect to the medial vertical plane of said horizontal rolls, said medial vertical plane being perpendicular to the common vertical plane of said horizontal rolls, the other pairs of vertical axes rollers being disposed between said horizontal rolls symmetrically in relation to said medial vertical plane.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein each roller support carrying a vertical axis roller, comprises means to permit the adjustment of the position of said vertical axes roller in relation to the roll pass contours of said horizontal rolls.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein said additional frames carrying said edging rollers comprise means for adjusting the position of each edging roller.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein guide means are provided between said horizontal rolls and said edging rollers, said guide means being fastened to said cross members, and means for adjusting, the position of said guide means.

6. Device according to claim 1, wherein the top, intermediate and bottom horizontal rolls of the said threehigh stand have the same roll pass contours so as to require only four horizontal rolls for two successive rollings or mountings, involving the substitution of the top horizontal roll by the bottom and strictly identical horizontal roll, and vice versa, and the replacement of the intermediate horizontal roll by another one.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 311,250 1/1885 Koehler 72224 395,350 l/1889 Reese 72223 526,466 9/1894 Thomas 72224 939,167 11/1909 Sack 72224 1,201,239 10/1916 Becker 72225 2,016,141 10/ 1935 Geer 72221 2,064,453 12/ 1936 Wheeler 72-225 1,812,248 6/1931 Oberg 72235 MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner 

